CN114714979A

CN114714979A - Vehicle control method, vehicle control device, vehicle control medium, electronic device, and autonomous vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN114714979A
Application number: CN202210478473.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 万艳宽
Original assignee: Apollo Intelligent Technology Beijing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Nanchang Apollo Intelligent Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-04-29
Filing date: 2022-04-29
Publication date: 2022-07-08

Abstract

The disclosure provides a vehicle control method, relates to the technical field of artificial intelligence, and particularly relates to the technical field of automatic driving. The specific implementation scheme is as follows: controlling the autonomous vehicle to switch to an automatic battery replacement mode in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position; controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage low-voltage power supply based on the automatic power supply changing mode; and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on based on the automatic power-changing mode in response to receiving a signal for representing the completion of the execution of the power-changing operation, wherein the power-changing operation comprises the replacement of a high-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle. The present disclosure also provides a vehicle control device, an electronic apparatus, a storage medium, and an autonomous vehicle.

Description

Vehicle control method, vehicle control device, vehicle control medium, electronic device, and autonomous vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of artificial intelligence technology, and more particularly, to the field of automated driving technology. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a vehicle control method, apparatus, storage medium, electronic device, and autonomous vehicle.

Background

With the development of artificial intelligence technology, automated driving technology based on artificial intelligence technology is widely used. The autonomous vehicle may be, for example, an electric vehicle driven by an electric motor using an in-vehicle power supply as power.

The electric vehicle can be replaced by a manual control mode. For example, for a manually driven electric vehicle, the driver may perform operations such as parking the vehicle in a parking space, powering down the vehicle at high voltage (disconnecting the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and at least some of the devices of the autonomous vehicle), and powering down the vehicle at low voltage (disconnecting the electrical connection between the low voltage battery and at least some of the devices of the autonomous vehicle). The staff of the battery replacement station can perform operations of checking vehicle information, detecting whether the battery is normal and the like. And finally, carrying out the battery replacement operation on the electric vehicle by using related equipment of the battery replacement station by a worker.

The battery replacement operation is performed on the electric vehicle in a manual control mode, and high labor cost is required. Further, the autonomous vehicle may not be provided with a driver. With manual control, it is difficult to perform a battery replacement operation on an autonomous vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

The disclosure provides a vehicle control method, a vehicle control device, a storage medium, an electronic device and an autonomous vehicle.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle control method including: controlling the autonomous vehicle to switch to an automatic battery replacement mode in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position; controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage low-voltage power supply based on the automatic power supply changing mode; and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on based on the automatic power-changing mode in response to receiving a signal for representing the completion of the execution of the power-changing operation, wherein the power-changing operation comprises the replacement of a high-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle control method including: performing a battery swapping operation on the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a signal requesting execution of the battery swapping operation, wherein the battery swapping operation includes replacing a high-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle; and sending a signal for representing the completion of the execution of the battery swapping operation in response to detecting the completion of the battery swapping operation.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle control apparatus including: the switching module is used for controlling the automatic driving vehicle to be switched to an automatic battery replacement mode in response to the fact that the automatic driving vehicle is located at the target position; the high-voltage power-down module is used for controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-down based on the automatic power-changing mode; and the high-voltage power-on module is used for responding to a received signal for representing the completion of the execution of the battery replacement operation, and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on based on the automatic battery replacement mode, wherein the battery replacement operation comprises the replacement of a high-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle control apparatus including: the battery replacement module is used for responding to a received signal for requesting to execute a battery replacement operation and executing the battery replacement operation on the automatic driving vehicle, wherein the battery replacement operation comprises replacing a high-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle; and the sending module is used for responding to the detection that the battery swapping operation is completed and sending a signal for representing the completion of the execution of the battery swapping operation.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device including: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform methods provided in accordance with the present disclosure.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions for causing a computer to perform a method provided according to the present disclosure.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method provided according to the present disclosure.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an autonomous vehicle is provided that includes an electronic device provided by the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the statements in this section are not intended to identify key or critical features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the present solution and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. Wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system architecture to which vehicle control methods and apparatus may be applied, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control unit deployed in an autonomous vehicle, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a control unit deployed at a swapping station, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 10 is a block diagram of an electronic device to which a vehicle control method may be applied according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various details of the embodiments of the disclosure are included to assist understanding, and which are to be considered as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted in the following description for clarity and conciseness.

As described above, the electric vehicle is powered by the on-board power supply. The onboard power supply may include, for example, a high voltage battery. The high voltage battery may provide, for example, a voltage of 300V to 400V.

After the electric energy of the high-voltage battery is exhausted, the electric automobile can be supplemented in a charging or battery replacement mode. For example, an electrical connection between the charging pile and the electric vehicle may be established to supplement the electricity by charging. For example, the high-voltage battery of the electric vehicle may be replaced to replace the battery.

The battery replacement station can perform battery replacement operation on the electric vehicle so as to replace a high-voltage battery of the electric vehicle. The driver of the electric vehicle can confirm the parking position of the vehicle in the battery replacement station with the staff of the battery replacement station, detect whether the vehicle meets the battery replacement condition and collect vehicle data, so that the battery replacement operation can be carried out by utilizing the battery replacement station in a manual control mode.

For example, the driver of the electric vehicle may park the electric vehicle into a parking space of the power conversion station. After the accurate parking of the vehicle is confirmed, the driver can control the vehicle to perform whole vehicle high-voltage power-off and whole vehicle low-voltage power-off. Next, the driver may leave the electric vehicle in order to meet the safety requirement. It is understood that high voltage de-energizing refers to breaking an electrical connection between the high voltage battery and at least a portion of the equipment of the autonomous vehicle. Low voltage de-energization refers to breaking an electrical connection between the low voltage battery and at least some of the devices of the autonomous vehicle.

The staff of the battery replacement station can check and collect the vehicle information to detect whether the electric vehicle meets the battery replacement condition. After the fact that the vehicle meets the battery replacement condition is determined, the staff starts the relevant equipment to perform battery replacement operation. After the battery replacement operation is completed, the worker can detect whether the high-voltage battery is normal. The driver can also start the vehicle to detect whether the high-voltage battery or the entire vehicle state of the vehicle is normal. After determining that the high-voltage battery and the whole vehicle are normal, the driver can control the electric vehicle to drive away from the battery replacement station.

As described above, in order to perform the battery replacement operation, a large amount of manual operations are required for the driver and the worker. For example, the driver may perform operations such as parking the vehicle in a parking space, powering down at high voltage, and powering down at low voltage of the entire vehicle. The worker can perform operations such as checking vehicle information, detecting whether the battery is normal, and the like.

In addition, after the vehicle is parked in the parking space, the driver may open the doors to exit the vehicle. In this case, the parking space needs to have enough space for the vehicle door to open so that the driver leaves the vehicle, which results in a large floor area of the power exchanging station and further results in an increase in the construction cost of the power exchanging station.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system architecture to which the vehicle control methods and apparatus may be applied, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that fig. 1 is only an example of a system architecture to which the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to help those skilled in the art understand the technical content of the present disclosure, and does not mean that the embodiments of the present disclosure may not be applied to other devices, systems, environments or scenarios.

As shown in fig. 1, a system architecture 100 according to this embodiment may include

sensors

101, 102, 103, a network 104, and a server 105. Network 104 is the medium used to provide communication links between

sensors

101, 102, 103 and server 105. Network 104 may include various connection types, such as wired and/or wireless communication links, and so forth.

The

sensors

101, 102, 103 may interact with a server 105 over a network 104 to receive or send messages, etc.

The

sensors

101, 102, 103 may be functional elements integrated on the autonomous vehicle 106, such as infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, millimeter wave radar, information acquisition devices, and the like. The

sensors

101, 102, 103 may be used to collect status data of obstacles around the autonomous vehicle 106 as well as surrounding road data.

The server 105 may be integrated on the autonomous vehicle 106, but is not limited to this, and may be disposed at a remote end capable of establishing communication with the vehicle-mounted terminal, and may be embodied as a distributed server cluster composed of a plurality of servers, or may be embodied as a single server.

The server 105 may be a server that provides various services. For example, a map application, a data processing application, and the like may be installed on the server 105. Taking the server 105 running the data processing class application as an example: the state data of the obstacle and the road data transmitted from the

sensors

101, 102, 103 are received via the network 104. One or more of the state data of the obstacle and the road data may be used as the data to be processed. And processing the data to be processed to obtain target data.

It should be noted that the vehicle control method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may be generally executed by the server 105. Accordingly, the vehicle control device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be provided in the server 105. But is not limited thereto. The vehicle control method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be generally performed by the

sensor

101, 102, or 103. Accordingly, the vehicle control device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be provided in the

sensor

101, 102, or 103.

It should be understood that the number of sensors, networks, and servers in fig. 1 is merely illustrative. There may be any number of sensors, networks, and servers, as desired for implementation.

It should be noted that the sequence numbers of the respective operations in the following methods are merely used as representations of the operations for description, and should not be construed as representing the execution order of the respective operations. The method need not be performed in the exact order shown, unless explicitly stated.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 2, the method 200 may include operations S210 to S230.

It is understood that the method 200 may be applied to an autonomous vehicle.

In operation S210, in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to switch to the auto power change mode.

For example, the autonomous vehicle may travel on a road based on the automatic travel mode, and may also park in or out of a parking space based on the automatic parking mode.

For example, a parking space for battery replacement may be used as the target position. At the parking space, the battery replacement operation can be performed on the automatic driving vehicle by using the related battery replacement equipment.

For example, the battery replacement operation includes replacing a high voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle.

For example, various sensors may be utilized to determine whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position. In one example, a distance sensor and/or camera disposed on the autonomous vehicle may be utilized to determine whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position. It will be appreciated that various manners of determining whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position may be utilized, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

For example, the autonomous vehicle may be controlled to park in the target position based on the autonomous parking mode. After determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position, the autonomous vehicle may be controlled to switch to an auto power change mode.

In operation S220, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to perform high-voltage power down based on the automatic power change mode.

For example, a high voltage battery of an autonomous vehicle may provide electrical power to a device such as an electric motor. The electrical connection between the high voltage battery and these devices can be broken to allow high voltage de-energization. It is understood that the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the plurality of related devices may be sequentially disconnected in a preset power-down sequence.

For example, after the high voltage down-conversion is completed, a power change operation may be performed on the autonomous vehicle to replace the high voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle.

In operation S230, in response to receiving a signal indicating that the power swap operation is completed, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to perform high-voltage power-up based on the automatic power swap mode.

For example, after completion of the power swap operation, the autonomous vehicle may receive a signal indicative of completion of execution of the power swap operation.

For example, as described above, a high voltage battery of an autonomous vehicle may provide electrical power for a device such as an electric motor. The automatically driven vehicle, after receiving a signal for indicating completion of the battery replacement operation, may establish an electrical connection between the high-voltage battery and the devices based on the automatic battery replacement mode. It is understood that the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the associated device may be established in a preset power-up sequence.

Through the embodiment of the disclosure, the automatic driving vehicle can be controlled based on the automatic battery replacement mode so as to automatically replace the battery. Under the condition of unmanned operation, the vehicle can be guided to be electrified under high voltage or under high voltage, so that the labor cost is saved, and the battery replacement efficiency is improved.

Furthermore, with the disclosed embodiments, the driver is not required to park the vehicle into the target position. Space can not be provided near the parking space so as to facilitate the opening of the vehicle door, the occupied area of the power station can be reduced, and the cost is further reduced.

In some embodiments, the target location in the method 200 may be, for example, a parking space of a power swapping station. In the parking space, the battery replacement station can perform battery replacement operation on the automatically driven vehicle by using the related battery replacement equipment so as to replace the high-voltage battery of the automatically driven vehicle.

In some embodiments, controlling the autonomous vehicle to power down at high voltage based on the auto power change mode comprises: and controlling the power supply by using a low-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle based on the automatic power changing mode.

For example, a low voltage battery may provide 12V, for example.

For example, the low voltage battery may provide power to a module such as a communication module or a status detection module. And controlling to continuously supply electric energy to modules such as a communication module or a state detection module by using a low-voltage battery based on the automatic battery replacement mode, so that the automatic driving vehicle can keep communication with a battery replacement station, or whether the automatic driving vehicle breaks down or not can be continuously detected in the battery replacement process.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control unit deployed in an autonomous vehicle, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 3, a plurality of control units may be deployed on an autonomous vehicle. The plurality of control units may include, for example: a Gateway (GW) 301, a TBOX 302, a bluetooth controller 303, a Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) 304, a Battery Management System (BMS) 305, a Motor Control Unit (MCU) 306, an Electronic Temperature Control (ECC) 307, and an Auto Parking controller (AVP) 308. For example, the bluetooth controller 303 may be a Public Key Cryptosystem (PKC) based controller.

The onboard gateway 301 may receive or transmit signals. For example, based on The 4 th generation mobile communication technology (The 4)^thGeneration Mobile Communication Technology, 4G), 5 th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (The 5)^thGeneration Mobile Communication Technology, 5G) or Wireless broadband Technology (WiFi), the in-vehicle gateway 301 may receive or transmit signals from a cloud server or a power conversion station through the in-vehicle smart terminal 302. For another example, the onboard gateway 301 may receive a signal indicating that the battery replacement operation is completed through the bluetooth controller 303, so that the relevant module controls the autonomous vehicle to perform high-voltage power-up.

Vehicle control unit 304 may determine whether the autonomous vehicle satisfies a preset battery replacement condition. For example, the preset battery replacement condition may include, for example, that the related motor stops working, that the automatic parking controller 308 or the automatic driving controller no longer issues a command to the motor controller, that the high voltage power down is completed, that the connection between the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery is disconnected, and the like.

The battery management system 305 may manage or maintain the respective battery cells constituting the high voltage battery, may prevent the battery from being overcharged or overdischarged, and may extend the service life of the battery.

The motor controller 306 may control the operation of the motor according to instructions issued by the automatic parking controller 308 or the automatic driving controller.

The thermal management controller 307 may control the battery thermal management system to heat or cool the high-voltage battery to maintain the high-voltage battery operating at a suitable temperature.

The autonomous parking controller 308 may control the autonomous vehicle to park in a parking space of the power substation based on the autonomous parking mode. It is to be understood that other control units may also be deployed in the autonomous vehicle, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, controlling the autonomous vehicle to run high voltage low based on the auto power change mode further comprises at least one of: controlling the automatic driving vehicle to perform high-voltage discharge; controlling a battery thermal management system of the autonomous vehicle to stop running; recording historical data of a high voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle; controlling a fault detection unit related to the high-voltage battery to stop operating; the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle is broken.

For example, a high voltage capacitor of an autonomous vehicle may be controlled to discharge at high voltage. The high voltage capacitor may store a portion of the electrical energy to facilitate rapid start of the autonomous vehicle.

For example, the battery thermal management system described above may be controlled by the thermal management controller to cease operation.

For example, the history data of the high voltage Battery _1 currently loaded on the autonomous vehicle may be recorded. The historical data may include, for example, battery status data, battery failure data, and the like.

For example, the failure detection unit associated with the high-voltage battery may be controlled to stop operating. Under normal operation conditions (e.g., during non-battery replacement), if it is detected that the high-voltage battery cannot provide power, the fault detection unit associated with the high-voltage battery may report an error. In the battery replacement process, the high-voltage battery cannot provide electric energy normally, and the operation of the related fault detection unit can be stopped.

For example, the electrical connection between the high-voltage battery and the low-voltage battery may be broken. A voltage conversion device can be arranged between the high-voltage battery and the low-voltage battery to ensure the safe operation of the low-voltage battery. And the high-voltage battery and the low-voltage battery are electrically disconnected, so that a lead or an interface between the low-voltage battery and the high-voltage battery is not electrified in the battery replacement process, and the service life of the low-voltage battery is prolonged.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 4, the method 400 may control the autonomous vehicle to switch to the auto power change mode in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is in the target position, as will be described in detail below in connection with operations S411-S413.

In operation S411, in response to determining that a distance between the autonomous vehicle and the power swapping station where the target position is located is less than or equal to a preset value, communication between the autonomous vehicle and the power swapping station is established.

For example, communication between the autonomous vehicle and the charging station may be established based on the smart terminal 302 or the bluetooth controller 303 described above.

For example, the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the power conversion station may be determined according to the geographic coordinates of the autonomous vehicle and the power conversion station. The wireless communication module (such as the Bluetooth controller 303) is used for carrying out wireless communication with the battery replacement station, so that the hardware cost is not increased.

In operation S412, in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position, a signal requesting initiation of a battery swap procedure is transmitted.

For example, various sensors may be utilized to determine whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position. In one example, whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position may be determined using a distance sensor and/or a camera disposed on the autonomous vehicle. It will be appreciated that various manners of determining whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position may be utilized, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

For example, the autonomous vehicle may be controlled to park in the target position based on the autonomous parking mode. After determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target location, a signal requesting initiation of the battery swap procedure is sent via the bluetooth controller 303 as described above.

In operation S413, in response to receiving a signal for starting a battery swap procedure, controlling the autonomous vehicle to switch to an automatic battery swap mode.

For example, the power swapping station may transmit a signal for starting the power swapping process in response to a signal requesting to start the power swapping process. In response to receiving a signal for initiating a battery swap procedure, the autonomous vehicle may be controlled to switch to an automatic battery swap mode.

As shown in fig. 4, the method 400 may also control the autonomous vehicle to perform high-voltage low-voltage charging based on the auto power change mode, which will be described in detail with reference to operations S421 to S423.

In operation S421, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to perform high-voltage down-charging based on the auto power change mode.

For example, a high voltage battery of an autonomous vehicle may provide electrical power to a device such as an electric motor. The electrical connection between the high voltage battery and these devices can be broken to allow high voltage de-energization. It is understood that the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the associated equipment may be broken in a preset power-down sequence.

In operation S422, power supply using a low-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle is controlled based on the auto power change mode.

For example, the low-voltage battery is controlled to continuously supply power to a module such as a communication module or a state detection module, so that the autonomous vehicle can maintain communication with the battery replacement station, or so that whether the autonomous vehicle has a fault or not can be continuously detected during the battery replacement process.

In operation S423, in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle satisfies the preset battery swap condition, a signal requesting execution of a battery swap operation is transmitted.

For example, after completing the high-voltage power-down operation, the hybrid controller 304 described above may determine whether the autonomous vehicle satisfies a preset power-change condition. If it is determined that the autonomous vehicle meets the preset battery swapping condition, a signal requesting execution of a battery swapping operation may be sent.

As shown in fig. 4, the method 400 may further control the autonomous vehicle to perform high-voltage power-up based on the auto power change mode in response to receiving a signal indicating that the power change operation is performed, which will be described in detail with reference to operations S431 to S432.

In operation S431, in response to receiving a signal for indicating completion of the power change operation, an electrical connection between the high-voltage battery and the low-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle is established based on the automatic power change mode.

For example, the Battery swapping station may perform a Battery swapping operation on the autonomous vehicle in response to a signal requesting the performance of the Battery swapping operation to replace the high-voltage Battery _1 currently loaded on the autonomous vehicle with the high-voltage Battery _ 2. After the completion of the execution, the power swapping station may send a signal that the execution of the power swapping operation is completed.

For example, next, after receiving a signal for indicating that the power change operation is completed, based on the automatic power change mode, an electrical connection between the high-voltage Battery _2 and the low-voltage Battery may be established for low-voltage power-up.

In operation S432, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to perform high voltage power-up in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle satisfies a preset power-up condition.

For example, the preset power-on condition may include, for example: the battery management system comprises a battery, a plug connector, a battery management system and the like.

For example, after determining that the autonomous vehicle satisfies the preset power-on condition, the electrical connection between the high-voltage Battery _2 and the relevant devices may be established according to a preset power-on sequence.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5, the method 500 may include operations S510 to S520.

It is understood that the method 500 may be applied to a power swapping station.

In operation S510, a battery swap operation is performed on the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a signal requesting performance of the battery swap operation.

For example, the Battery replacement station may perform a Battery replacement operation on the autonomous vehicle to replace the high-voltage Battery _1 currently loaded on the autonomous vehicle with the high-voltage Battery _2 in response to a signal requesting the performance of the Battery replacement operation. For example, the models of the high voltage Battery _1 and the high voltage Battery _2 may be the same.

In operation S520, in response to detecting that the power swapping operation is completed, a signal for representing that the power swapping operation is completed is transmitted.

For example, after the power swapping operation is completed, the power swapping station may signal that the power swapping operation is completed, so that the autonomous vehicle performs the relevant operation.

In some embodiments, at least one robot may be deployed in the swapping station. The at least one robot may perform a swapping operation.

Through this disclosed embodiment, trade the power station and can be realized trading the power station for unmanned, practice thrift the human cost.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a control unit deployed at a swapping station, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 6, the power swapping station may be deployed with a plurality of control units. The plurality of control units may include, for example: gateway 601, intelligent terminal 602 and bluetooth controller 603. The gateway 601 may receive or transmit signals. For example, the gateway 601 may receive or transmit a signal from a cloud server or an autonomous vehicle through the smart terminal 602 based on a 4 th generation mobile communication technology, a 5 th generation mobile communication technology, or a wireless broadband technology. For another example, the gateway 601 may send a signal indicating that the battery replacement operation is completed through the bluetooth controller 603, so as to automatically drive the vehicle to perform high-voltage power-up. It can be understood that other control units may also be deployed in the swapping station, which is not limited by this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 7, the method includes operations 7101 to 7118 applied to the autonomous vehicle, and operations S7201 to S7204 applied to the battery replacement station.

In operation S7101, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to park in the target location based on the autonomous parking mode.

For example, after determining that the high voltage battery needs to be replaced, vehicle information and battery information of the autonomous vehicle may be sent to the cloud based on the smart terminal 302 described above. According to the vehicle information and the battery information, the cloud end can match the nearest battery replacement station for the automatic driving vehicle. The battery replacement station can allocate a parking space for replacing the battery for the automatic driving vehicle. The parking space may be used as a target location for the autonomous vehicle. Based on the automatic travel mode, the autonomous vehicle may be controlled to travel to the vicinity of the target position so as to control the autonomous vehicle to switch to the automatic parking mode.

Next, based on the automatic parking mode, the autonomous vehicle may be controlled to park in the target position.

For another example, in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position, operation S7102 is performed.

In operation S7102, a signal for requesting the start of the battery swap flow is transmitted.

For example, various sensors may be utilized to determine whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position. In one example, a distance sensor and/or camera disposed on the autonomous vehicle may be utilized to determine whether the autonomous vehicle is in the target position.

Next, the battery swapping station receives a signal for requesting the start of the battery swapping process, and performs operation S7201.

In operation S7201, a signal for starting a battery swap procedure is transmitted.

For example, in response to receiving a signal for requesting to start a swapping procedure, the swapping station may determine whether the relevant swapping device may be used to perform a swapping operation. After determining that the relevant power swapping device can be used for performing the power swapping operation, a signal for starting a power swapping process may be sent.

Next, the autonomous vehicle receives a signal for starting the battery replacement process, and performs operation S7103.

In operation S7103, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to switch to an automatic battery replacement mode.

For example, in response to receiving a signal to initiate a battery swap procedure, the autonomous vehicle may be controlled to switch to an automatic battery swap mode.

In operation S7104, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to perform high-voltage low-voltage charging based on the auto power change mode.

In operation S7105, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to perform high voltage discharge.

For example, a high voltage capacitor of an autonomous vehicle may be controlled to discharge at high voltage.

In operation S7106, a battery thermal management system of the autonomous vehicle is controlled to stop operating.

For example, the battery thermal management system may be controlled to stop operating so that the high voltage battery is not heated or cooled.

In operation S7107, the fault detection unit associated with the high voltage battery is controlled to stop operating.

For example, in the case of normal operation, if it is detected that the high-voltage battery cannot supply power, the fault detection unit associated with the high-voltage battery may report an error. In the battery replacement process, the high-voltage battery cannot provide electric energy normally, and the operation of the related fault detection unit can be stopped.

In operation S7108, history data of a high voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle is recorded.

In operation S7109, the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle is disconnected.

For example, the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and the low voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle is disconnected, and the power supply to the autonomous vehicle using the low voltage battery may be controlled.

In operation S7110, a signal for requesting the performance of a battery swap operation is transmitted.

For example, after completing a high-voltage power-down operation or the like, a signal requesting that a power-change operation be performed may be transmitted.

Next, the battery swap station receives a signal requesting to perform a battery swap operation, and may perform operation S7202.

In operation S7202, a battery swap operation is performed on the autonomous vehicle.

For example, in response to receiving a signal requesting execution of a Battery replacement operation, the Battery replacement station may perform a Battery replacement operation on the autonomous vehicle using the relevant Battery replacement device to replace the high-voltage Battery _1 currently loaded on the autonomous vehicle with the high-voltage Battery _ 2.

Next, after detecting that the power swapping operation is completed, operation S7203 may be performed.

In operation S7203, a signal for representing the completion of the power swapping operation is transmitted.

For example, a signal for indicating that the power swapping operation is completed may be sent after detecting that the relevant power swapping device stops operating. Furthermore, it is also possible to transmit Battery information of the high-voltage Battery _2 to the autonomous vehicle.

Next, the autonomous vehicle receives a signal indicating that the battery replacement operation is completed, and performs operation S7111.

In operation S7111, an electrical connection between a high voltage battery and a low voltage battery of an autonomous vehicle is established.

For example, an electrical connection between the high voltage Battery _2 and the low voltage Battery of 12V may be established for low voltage power up.

In operation S7112, it is determined whether the autonomous vehicle satisfies a preset power-on condition.

For example, the preset power-on condition may include, for example: the battery management system comprises a battery, a plug connector, a battery management system and the like. In one example, the high-voltage Battery _2 may be matched with preset Battery information, and if the matching is successful, the Battery information may be considered to be normal. It will be appreciated that various manners of determining whether the autonomous vehicle meets the preset power-on condition may be utilized, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

For example, in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle satisfies the preset power-on condition, operation S7113 is performed.

For another example, in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle does not satisfy the preset power-on condition, operation S7118 is performed, and the battery swap procedure is ended. In one example, after the power swapping process is completed, the relevant maintenance personnel may be notified to perform maintenance on the autonomous vehicle.

In operation S7113, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to be powered on at a high voltage based on the auto power change mode.

For example, the electrical connection between the high voltage Battery _2 and the relevant device can be established according to a preset power-up sequence.

In operation S7114, power swap information is recorded.

For example, the battery swapping information may include: battery information of the high-voltage Battery _2, Battery replacement time, identification information of the Battery replacement station and the like.

In operation S7115, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to switch to an autonomous parking mode.

For example, the auto power change mode may be exited and the auto parking mode may be entered.

In operation S7116, a signal requesting to dock out is transmitted.

For example, after switching to the automatic parking mode, a signal requesting parking out may be sent to the power exchange station.

Next, the power swapping station receives a signal requesting to park, and performs operation S7204.

In operation S7204, a signal indicating a park-out is transmitted.

For example, in response to receiving a signal requesting a dock out, the swapping station may send a signal indicating a dock out.

Next, the autonomous vehicle receives a signal indicating parking out, and operation S7117 is performed.

In operation S7117, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to park out of the target location based on the autonomous parking mode.

For example, in response to receiving the signal indicating park out, the autonomous vehicle is controlled to park out of the target location based on the autonomous park out mode to control the autonomous vehicle to travel out of the power conversion station to continue performing travel tasks or other tasks.

In some embodiments, between operation S7113 and operation S7114 described above, may further include: it is determined whether the autonomous vehicle meets a preset parking-out condition. For example, the preset dock-out condition may include: the associated equipment (e.g., an electric motor) powered by the high voltage battery operates normally. If it is determined that the autonomous vehicle satisfies the preset parking condition, operation S7114 is performed. If it is determined that the autonomous vehicle does not satisfy the preset parking-out condition, operation S7118 is performed, and the battery swapping process is ended.

Through the embodiment of the disclosure, based on the automatic power switching mode, the time consumption of the power switching process can be reduced from 90 seconds to 70 seconds, and the power switching time is saved by at least 20 seconds.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 8, the apparatus 800 may include a switching module 810, a high voltage down module 820, and a high voltage up module 830.

A switching module 810 for controlling the autonomous vehicle to switch to an automatic battery swap mode in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is in the target position.

And a high-voltage low-voltage electric module 820 for controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage low-voltage electric based on the automatic power exchange mode.

And a high-voltage power-on module 830, configured to control the automatically-driven vehicle to perform high-voltage power-on based on the automatic battery replacement mode in response to receiving a signal indicating that the battery replacement operation is completed. For example, the battery replacement operation includes replacing a high voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle.

In some embodiments, the high voltage down electric module comprises: and the power supply unit is used for controlling power supply by using a low-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle based on the automatic power changing mode.

In some embodiments, the high voltage down electric module further comprises at least one of: a high voltage discharge unit for controlling the autonomous vehicle to perform high voltage discharge; the first control unit is used for controlling the battery thermal management system of the automatic driving vehicle to stop running; a recording unit for recording history data of a high-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle; a second control unit for controlling the failure detection unit associated with the high-voltage battery to stop operating; a disconnection unit for disconnecting an electrical connection between the high voltage battery and a low voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle.

In some embodiments, the switching module comprises: a first establishing unit, configured to establish communication between the autonomous vehicle and a swapping station where a target position is located in response to determining that a distance between the autonomous vehicle and the swapping station is less than or equal to a preset value; a first transmitting unit, configured to transmit a signal for requesting initiation of a battery swap procedure in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position; and the switching unit is used for controlling the automatic driving vehicle to switch to the automatic battery replacement mode in response to receiving a signal for starting the battery replacement process.

In some embodiments, the high voltage photovoltaic module comprises: a second transmitting unit, configured to transmit a signal for requesting execution of the battery swapping operation in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle satisfies a preset battery swapping condition.

In some embodiments, the high voltage power-up module comprises: a second establishing unit configured to establish an electrical connection between a high-voltage battery and the low-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle based on the automatic battery replacement mode in response to receiving a signal indicating that the battery replacement operation is performed; and the high-voltage power-on unit is used for controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on in response to the fact that the automatic driving vehicle meets the preset power-on condition.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a vehicle control apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 9, the apparatus 900 may include a power swapping module 910 and a sending module 920.

And the battery swapping module 910 is configured to perform a battery swapping operation on the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a signal for requesting to perform the battery swapping operation. For example, the battery replacement operation includes replacing a high voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle.

And a sending module 920, configured to send a signal for representing that the power swapping operation is completed in response to detecting that the power swapping operation is completed.

In the technical scheme of the disclosure, the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure and other processing of the personal information of the related user are all in accordance with the regulations of related laws and regulations and do not violate the good customs of the public order.

The present disclosure also provides an electronic device, a readable storage medium, and a computer program product according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an example electronic device 1000 that can be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure. Electronic devices are intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and other appropriate computers. The electronic device may also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processing, cellular phones, smart phones, wearable devices, and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions, are meant to be examples only, and are not intended to limit implementations of the disclosure described and/or claimed herein.

As shown in fig. 10, the apparatus 1000 includes a computing unit 1001 that can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a computer program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM)1002 or a computer program loaded from a storage unit 1008 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 1003. In the RAM 1003, various programs and data necessary for the operation of the device 1000 can also be stored. The calculation unit 1001, the ROM 1002, and the RAM 1003 are connected to each other by a bus 1004. An input/output (I/O) interface 1005 is also connected to bus 1004.

A number of components in device 1000 are connected to I/O interface 1005, including: an input unit 1006 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and the like; an output unit 1007 such as various types of displays, speakers, and the like; a storage unit 1008 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or the like; and a communication unit 1009 such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, or the like. The communication unit 1009 allows the device 1000 to exchange information/data with other devices through a computer network such as the internet and/or various telecommunication networks.

Computing unit 1001 may be a variety of general and/or special purpose processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the computing unit 1001 include, but are not limited to, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), various dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing chips, various computing units running machine learning model algorithms, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), and any suitable processor, controller, microcontroller, and so forth. The calculation unit 1001 executes the respective methods and processes described above, such as the vehicle control method. For example, in some embodiments, the vehicle control method may be implemented as a computer software program tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, such as the storage unit 1008. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and/or installed onto device 1000 via ROM 1002 and/or communications unit 1009. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 1003 and executed by the computing unit 1001, one or more steps of the vehicle control method described above may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the computing unit 1001 may be configured to perform the vehicle control method in any other suitable manner (e.g., by means of firmware).

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here above may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application Specific Standard Products (ASSPs), system on a chip (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. These various embodiments may include: implemented in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose, receiving data and instructions from, and transmitting data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium may be a tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a machine-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection based on one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having: a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to a user; and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which a user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices may also be used to provide for interaction with a user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user may be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front-end component (e.g., a user computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include: local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), and the Internet.

The computer system may include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure also provides an autonomous vehicle comprising an electronic device provided by the present disclosure. For example, the autonomous vehicle may include the electronic device 1000, for example.

It should be understood that various forms of the flows shown above, reordering, adding or deleting steps, may be used. For example, the steps described in the present disclosure may be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired results of the technical solutions disclosed in the present disclosure can be achieved, and the present disclosure is not limited herein.

The above detailed description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions may be made in accordance with design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A vehicle control method comprising:

in response to determining that an autonomous vehicle is in a target position, controlling the autonomous vehicle to switch to an automatic battery swap mode;

controlling the automatic driving vehicle to perform high-voltage low-voltage power supply based on the automatic power supply changing mode; and

and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on based on the automatic power-changing mode in response to receiving a signal for representing the completion of the execution of the power-changing operation, wherein the power-changing operation comprises the replacement of a high-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the autonomous vehicle to power down at a high voltage based on the automatic power change mode comprises:

and controlling to use a low-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle to supply power based on the automatic power changing mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the autonomous vehicle to perform high voltage down-conversion based on the automatic power conversion mode further comprises at least one of:

controlling the autonomous vehicle to perform high-voltage discharge;

controlling a battery thermal management system of the autonomous vehicle to stop running;

recording historical data of a high voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle;

controlling a fault detection unit associated with the high-voltage battery to stop operating;

disconnecting the electrical connection between the high voltage battery and a low voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling of the autonomous vehicle to switch to the auto power change mode in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is in the target position comprises:

establishing communication between the automatic driving vehicle and a power swapping station in response to determining that the distance between the automatic driving vehicle and the power swapping station where the target position is located is smaller than or equal to a preset value;

in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target location, sending a signal requesting initiation of a battery swap procedure; and

and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to switch to the automatic battery replacement mode in response to receiving a signal for starting the battery replacement process.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the controlling of the autonomous vehicle to run high voltage power down based on the automatic power change mode comprises:

in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle meets a preset power swap condition, sending a signal requesting execution of the power swap operation.

6. The method of claim 2 or 4, wherein the controlling the autonomous vehicle to power up at a high voltage based on the automatic power change mode in response to receiving a signal indicative of completion of execution of a power change operation comprises:

establishing an electrical connection between a high-voltage battery and a low-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle based on the automatic battery replacement mode in response to receiving a signal indicating completion of execution of the battery replacement operation; and

and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on in response to determining that the automatic driving vehicle meets a preset power-on condition.

7. A vehicle control method comprising:

performing a battery swapping operation on an autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a signal requesting execution of a battery swapping operation, wherein the battery swapping operation includes replacing a high-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle; and

and sending a signal for representing the completion of the execution of the battery swapping operation in response to the detection of the completion of the battery swapping operation.

8. A vehicle control apparatus comprising:

the switching module is used for responding to the fact that the automatic driving vehicle is located at the target position, and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to be switched to an automatic power switching mode;

the high-voltage power-down module is used for controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-down based on the automatic power-changing mode; and

and the high-voltage power-on module is used for responding to a received signal for representing the completion of the execution of the power replacement operation and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on based on the automatic power replacement mode, wherein the power replacement operation comprises the replacement of a high-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the high voltage lower power module comprises:

and the power supply unit is used for controlling power supply by using a low-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle based on the automatic battery replacement mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the high voltage lower power module further comprises at least one of:

a high voltage discharge unit for controlling the autonomous vehicle to perform high voltage discharge;

the first control unit is used for controlling the battery thermal management system of the automatic driving vehicle to stop running;

a recording unit for recording history data of a high-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle;

a second control unit for controlling the failure detection unit associated with the high-voltage battery to stop operating;

a disconnection unit for disconnecting an electrical connection between the high voltage battery and a low voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the switching module comprises:

the first establishing unit is used for establishing communication between the automatic driving vehicle and a power swapping station in response to the fact that the distance between the automatic driving vehicle and the power swapping station where the target position is located is smaller than or equal to a preset value;

a first transmitting unit, configured to transmit a signal for requesting initiation of a battery swap procedure in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle is at the target position; and

and the switching unit is used for controlling the automatic driving vehicle to switch to the automatic battery replacement mode in response to receiving a signal for starting the battery replacement process.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the high voltage lower power module comprises:

a second sending unit, configured to send a signal requesting execution of the battery swapping operation in response to determining that the autonomous vehicle satisfies a preset battery swapping condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 or 11, wherein the high voltage power-up module comprises:

a second establishing unit configured to establish an electrical connection between a high-voltage battery and the low-voltage battery of the autonomous vehicle based on the automatic battery replacement mode in response to receiving a signal indicating that the battery replacement operation is performed; and

and the high-voltage power-on unit is used for responding to the fact that the automatic driving vehicle meets the preset power-on condition and controlling the automatic driving vehicle to carry out high-voltage power-on.

14. A vehicle control apparatus comprising:

the battery replacement module is used for responding to a received signal for requesting to execute a battery replacement operation, and executing the battery replacement operation on the automatic driving vehicle, wherein the battery replacement operation comprises replacing a high-voltage battery of the automatic driving vehicle; and

and the sending module is used for responding to the detection that the battery swapping operation is completed and sending a signal for representing the completion of the execution of the battery swapping operation.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions for causing the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

18. An autonomous vehicle comprising the electronic device of claim 15.